MAB activists are condemned in Tucuruí in Pará

The Movement of People Affected by Dams (MAB) receives with indignation the news that Roquevam Alves da Silva, Euvanice Furtado and Roger Veiga are sentenced by the Federal Court of Marabá due to a mobilization held by the people affected by the Tucuruí hydro-power dam in 2007.

The hydroelectric construction model in our country has caused throughout history grave human rights violations, as recognized by the National Council for Human Rights (CDDPH). One of the reason for this is the inexistence of a policy of rights for people affected by dams. The absence of this policy puts families affected in vulnerable situation, from those families affected by old dams where the social liabilities haven’t been paid and those more recently affected as the case of the dam burst of the mining company Samarco (Vale-BHP Billiton), which affected thousands of people along the Doce River basin.

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The hydropower dam of Tucuruí, built during the military dictatorship is one of the symbols of this model and has an history of repression and violation of rights that lasts until today. Those who have been affected have their life conditions worsened and are still fighting for basic rights.

During the 20 years of MAB’s organizations we have seen that mechanisms of the law being used as an instrument of criminalization of human rights and to the right to organization.

MAB is suffering of series of prohibitory interdicts fro south to north of the country, inhibiting the thousands families to make the just struggle for their rights.

The condemnation of these activist, means for us they will be political prisoners, it’s another sad chapter of this history, but we will keep our heads high. Untill there are rights being violated, the affected people will continue fighting.